how old was rachel when she married jacob

At the well at Haran, Jacob found Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, tending sheep. In another midrashic tradition, however, Jacob did not initially favor Rachel over Leah. Overall, the midrash portrays Rachel as incredibly generous and compassionate, and her goodness is seen in her descendants. Elijah came and stood before them. Buber],Vayeze19). 3 (2020): 299-333. Jer. So you wouldn't expect two old people, would you? Some consider that she did so in order to conceal Jacob's flight; others, that her object was to turn her father from idolatry (Pire R. El. R. xxx. Agadat Bereshit l.c. However, the Rabbis debate the reason behind God granting her the ability to bear children. Rachel (Hebrew: , Rl; "a ewe"[1]) (ca. Vilna] petihtah 24). You are your mothers son! Gen. 29tells of the first meeting between Jacob and Rachel at the well. When his time came to take leave of the world, he summoned his sons, but he did not choose Joseph instead of Reuben. According to the "Sefer ha-Yashar" (section "Wayee," p. 46a, Leghorn, 1870), Rachel herself prayed God to give her children, and God finally answered her prayer. The S Club 7 singer was engaged to former Holby . By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel. Jacob said: If all my children will be killed, Rachels son will remain, for he will punish this wicked seed, as it is said(Jud. Higger], chap. 1; Tan., Wayee, 19; Gen. R. lxxi. Rachelis depicted in theTorah she-bi-khetav: Lit. He suggests that the Apostles were also numbered twelve, though Judas Iscariot was dead by that time, (John 20:24 ) and cites Saint Augustine to support him. Jacobs response is described in v. 2: Jacob was incensed at Rachel, and said, Can I take the place of God, who has denied you fruit of the womb? The midrashic exegesis further intensifies Jacobs strong statement. 11). In theTorahReuben is deposed from his status as firstborn for having violated his fathers bed(Gen. 49:34) and this distinction is conferred on Joseph when Jacob declares that Ephraim and Manasseh are his sons(Gen. 48:56). Zilpah, Leah's maid, gives birth to Gad and Asher. The midrash connects these actions, both of which express Rachels compassionate nature. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. This midrash awards the birthright to Joseph, since his two sons became tribes and he therefore received twice as much as any of his brothers. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the . TheTorahrelates that it was Joseph who ordered that the goblet be hidden in Benjamins sack. 60a), and who are often referred to in the liturgy, Rachel being mentioned before Leah. (2022, December 6). Gen. 33:2relates: putting the maids and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last, to which the midrash comments: The more behind, the more beloved(Gen. Rabbah78:8). Genesis chapters 29-30 and 35 detail the births of Jacob's many children. Once she has given birth, she places the blame on her child (Tanhuma[ed. Rachel and Leah were twin sisters, fourteen years old when Jacob came to their father's house; consequently they were twenty-one years old at the time of their marriage to Jacob (Seder 'Olam Rabbah ii.). Joseph thereby is awarded a double portion, which is the right of the firstborn. Who was Rachel in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org 4; "Sefer ha-Yashar," section "Wayee," p. 47a). She did not want to adhere to the paganism of her fathers house, but rather sought to prevent Laban from engaging in idolatry. Gen. 30:25relates that after Josephs birth Jacob asked Laban for permission to return to his land. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 2227 AM-m. 2245 AM-2266 AM) (ca. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". Jacob should have understood her pain, instead of rebuking her for the manner in which she spoke. l.c. Before her death, Rachel names the newborn. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. Another tradition explains that most of those around [the table] were from Leah, and therefore Rachel was the main person [ikar] of the household(Gen. Rabbah71:2). Rabbah37:1). In the tableau inGen. 35:17, Rachel experiences difficulty in childbirth and the midwife tells her: Have no fear, for it is another boy for you. The Rabbis observe that this is how a womans spirit is restored during childbirth, by telling her not to fear, because she is giving birth to a son [which was regarded as an honor which would raise the womans spirits](Gen. Rabbah82:8). In the episode of the mandrakes, when Leah reproached her sister for having robbed her of her husband (Gen. xxx. (NIV), Genesis 30:22Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. Laban agreed to the arrangement. [Note Jacob was less than half this age when he met Rachel - this means that even compared to a modern man, he was in the prime of his life at that point.] xxi., where the number 37 must be corrected to 36). Her first son was Joseph, the future viceroy of Egypt. According to these first two traditions, Naphtalis name portrays an experience undergone by Rachel. By merit of the birth of Dan [the son of Bilhah], Rachel became pregnant; and by merit of the birth of Dan, Joseph and Benjamin were born(Gen. Rabbah73:4). Bilhah bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, the first by her own merit, and the second by the merit of Rachel (Gen. Rabbati,Vayeze, p. 121). She possessed the art of silence [when she knew that her sister was given to Jacob deceitfully, but remained silent and did not tell him]; all of her descendants continued in this path, and could keep a secret. The Rabbis speak of the passionate love for Rachel exhibited by Jacob, who already understood from their first encounter that she was his intended bride. Another tradition has Leah herself being responsible for the change. xxxi. God took pity on Leah and allowed her to bear children, while Rachel was barren. When Jacob spoke with Leah, Rachel would answer him, so that he would not identify Leahs voice (Lam. She hid these teraphim in her saddle bag, and sat on them. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah as Jacobs beautiful and beloved wife. Jacob retorted in anger that he did not stand in the place of God, Who alone decided questions of that sort. In 1860, Sir Moses Montefiore enlarged this structure. "order." This was exceedingly difficult for me, when I learned of this counsel. Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2022, learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193. According to the Rabbis, Laban would not have succeeded in deceiving Jacob without Rachels involvement. Referred to alternatively as the "Day of Judgement" and the "Day of Blowing" (of the shofar).Rosh Ha-Shanah, like Sarah andHannah. "Jacob and Rachel at the Well, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1896-1902. Gen. 30:1states: When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister, leading the Rabbis to apply to Rachel the verseCant. Jacob loved Rachel passionately even before they were married, but Rachel thought, as her culture had taught her, that she needed to bear children to earn Jacob's love. Rachel said: If Leah were not righteous, would she have given birth?(Gen. Rabbah71:6). Thismidrashincorporates several aggadic traditions according to which Leah gave birth to Issachar and Zebulun by merit of the mandrakes that she gave her sister. How long were Jacob and Rachel married? - Christianity Stack Exchange Let us know. Jewish Women's Archive. Agadah to Gen. xxx. Whatever the case, she died young. These two exegetical positions derive the word akarah from ikar. The first view maintains that even though Leah had children, Rachel continued to be the beloved and preferred wife, which was expressed in the running of the household. Why did Rachel die? This filled Rachel with envy, and, having expressed her feelings to Jacob, she bade him take her handmaid Bilhah to wife in order that she might obtain a family through her (xxix. The Rabbis seek to discover the reason why Rachels womb was opened. DAY 34: Jacob Was 84 Years Old When He Married Rachel And Leah By richoka Leave a Comment We've now arrived at the third Biblical patriarch: Jacob. However, the text of Genesis 35:9-15 is a narrative that begins with a recapitulation of an earlier incident: the second appearance of God to Jacob and the renaming of Jacob to Israel. Jacob said to Rachel: who has deniedyoufruit of the wombHe denied you, but me He did not deny [since I have sons from Leah]. "teaching," "study," or "learning." Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. xxxi. Agadat Bereshit li. 3). Bethlehem is now an Arab-controlled town. cit.). Instead, he must accept the first-born, the son of the unloved one, and allot to him a double portion of all he possesses. The midrash compares this mandate with the story of Jacob. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the, Matriarchs: A Liturgical and Theological Category, Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. As the four different plants with which the Jews were commanded to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. They declare that Rachel was not envious of her sister's fertility, but of her righteousness; she thought that if Leah had not been a better woman than she, she would not have had children. Jacob was 147 years old when he died, Gen 47:28. Rachel was one of the four Jewish matriarchs, all of whom were prophetesses (Ber. Isaac, the father of Jacob, wanted his son to marry from among their own people, so he sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to find a wife among the daughters of Laban, Jacob's uncle. 2). Agadah toGen. Since he did not have the money to pay the bride price (the mohar ) for her, he agreed to work seven years for him and then marry Rachel. Buber],Vayeze18). Jacob's wife, Leah, had four sons in quick succession, and then stopped bearing. Rachel: Wife of Jacob, Sister of Leah - Guideposts Theodor-Albeck, MS. Vatican, 99:3, p. 1253]). According to one of these interpretations, the disgrace to which Rachel refers is the affair of theConcubine of a Levite(Jud. Accordingly, after the birth of Joseph, Esaus foil, Jacob resolved that the time had come to return to his homeland(Gen. Rabbah73:7). 1) is only once (Gen. R. xlv. Kadari, Tamar. cit.). Benjamin, who had just been born, needed a wet nurse; a miracle was performed for Bilhah and her breasts filled with milk, thus enabling her to nurse the newborn(Tanhuma,Vayeshev7; see also the entry: Bilhah). Did he not go to Laban only because of me? (Gen. Rabbahloc. Leah bore Jacob six sons and a daughter. On this date Joseph left the Egyptian prison; and on this date, Israel went forth from their servitude in Egypt(BTRosh Hashanah10b11a). 6), this prayer of Rachel caused Leah's seventh child, which at the time of conception was a son, to be transformed into a daughter; otherwise Rachel would have been the mother of only one son (comp., however, Ber. xxxv. According to another tradition, all three mothers (Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah) gathered and said: We have enough males; let her [Rachel] be remembered(Gen. Rabbah72:6). 10). The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover. Another tradition suggests that when Rachel saw that she did not bear children, she feared lest Esau take her from Jacob and marry her [because of the prior agreement between the parents of Jacob and Esau that each would marry one of the sisters, while Jacob had married both]. InJer. In an additional commentary, another son referred to the apportioning ofThe Land of IsraelErez Israel, since Benjamin did not have a portion with Joseph, but with the tribe of Judah(Gen. Rabbah73:56). The midrash further states that, as reward for Rachels modesty, Saul was descended from her; and as reward for Sauls modesty, Esther was descended from him. It was for my sake that he came here and served our father for so many years. The exegetes holding this view find Rachels words(Gen. 30:15) to be somewhat prophetic: I promise, he shall lie with you tonightwith you he will lie [in the grave], but with me he will not lie [in the grave]. After working for Laban another seven years, Jacob marries Rachel Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Updates? Gen. 35:18attests: But as she breathed her lastfor she was dyingshe named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. The Rabbis explain that Rachel called the child the son of my suffering [in Aramaic], while his father gave him the Hebrew name Benjamin. The midrashic sources specify that Rachel died at the age of thirty-six (SederOlam Rabbah2) and list three women who had difficult childbirths and died: Rachel, the wife of Phinehas(I Sam. Rachel said: Were not the vicissitudes that Jacob underwent for me? These two reasons reveal the fact that, already at the instant of his first meeting with Rachel, Jacob realized that she was the woman meant for him. What am I, flesh and blood, dust and ashes, that I was not jealous of my rival wife, and that I did not allow her to be shamed and disgraced, but You, merciful living and eternal King, why were You jealous of idolatry that is of no import, and exiled my children who were slain by the sword, and allowed their enemies to do with them as they pleased? Gods mercy was immediately revealed, and He said: For your sake, Rachel, I shall return Israel to their placefor there is a reward for your labor []. The Rabbis did not view this exchange between the sisters favorably. When, toward the end of his life, Jacob told Joseph about Rachels death, he said(Gen. 48:7): I [do this because], when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow. The wording died, to my sorrow teach the Rabbis that Rachels death was the harshest of all the troubles that befell Jacob(Gen. Rabbah97:7, [ed. Various Jewish sources say Rachel died at age 36 and other sources say age 45. 4:19), andMichal (daughter of Saul)(II Sam. Jacob said to Joseph that he had buried Rachel near Ephrath, where Bethlehem now stands. The proverb teaches that we should not be surprised by this similarity, since Rachel was exceedingly beautiful, so was her son. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Rachel stole her father's household gods or teraphim. The Bible says that this took place at sheep-shearing time,[5] which is always in the springtime. How old was Rachel when she died. The most extreme description of Rachels act of self-sacrifice appears inLam. Buber],Vayeze19). Before she died, she said that the child should be named Ben-oni, or "son of my pain." The terms "elder" and "younger," applied respectively to Leah and Rachel (Gen. xxix. 19:11) drippings of the comb [nofet zufim], which are in the portion of Naphtali, who will engage in Torah study (Gen. Rabbahloc. At the end of twenty years of service (seven each for Leah and Rachel, and six more for a portion of Laban's flocks), Jacob and Laban fell out. Instead of giving Laban the traditional bride-price, Jacob agreed to work for Laban seven years to earn Rachel's hand in marriage. Another tradition explains the Torahs statement(Gen. 29:16): Now Laban had two daughters as meaning that both were equal in beauty and in their erect stature (Tanhuma[ed. At last Rachel prayed to God, and God caused her to conceive. For instance. Themidrashrecords a disagreement among the Rabbis concerning the origins of Elijah. Leah's life as Jacob's wife was distressful. Jennifer Grey Talks Her 'Friends' Role, Explains Why She Couldn't Had I not revealed to thee our signs, he would never have become thy husband" (Midr. xxxi. Jacob offered to serve Laban for seven years, in exchange for the right to marry Rachel. When Rachel realized that she was barren, she emulated Sarah and gave Bilhah to Jacob, saying: "Just as this one was built by her rival wife, so, too, shall I be built by my rival wife" (Gen. Rabbah 71:30). This midrash bore a message of consolation to the Rabbis and the Jews of their time, since, for the Rabbis, Esau symbolized the Roman empire. Harvard Theological Review113, no. But on the night of the marriage, Laban deceived Jacob. Rachel - Wikipedia Themidrash, however, presents two principal approaches to this question. 6:23)(Gen. Rabbah82:7). Rabbah3:2). Continuing this exegetical orientation, in another midrashic depiction Jacob tells Reuben, while blessing his sons before his death: The birthright was not yours. Rachels son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph but did not reveal it to his father; therefore(Ex. She spends much of her married life attempting to bear children for Jacob and eventually uses her maid Bilhah as a surrogate, but Rachel still craves biological children. Later, when Leah was given in marriage instead of Rachel, the latter revealed the signs to her sister in order to spare her from being disgraced by Jacob.
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